A skin in Battlefield 2042 is being renamed after it was discovered to have a link to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Now that Battlefield 2042 is in early access, many players are quickly going through everything the game has to offer to see what they can unlock and earn as they play. During their search, certain players have found that specialist Pyotr "Boris" Gukovsky has an Epic skin called "Little Green Man."
This upset many, including @Waggle_ua, who asked Battlefield 2042 developer DICE, "are you ok with jokingly putting the Russian terrorists that occupied part of my country?"
@EA @EA_DICE are you ok with jokingly putting the Russian terrorists that occupied part of my country? Why not add dunno isis or taliban units to the mix? https://t.co/YlugdMDaYyhttps://t.co/uuhi49xwYL pic.twitter.com/NUBIwMOokR
— Waggle-free (@Waggle_ua) November 12, 2021
For those unaware, the phrase little green men was in reference to Russian soldiers who took part in the annexation of Crimea during the Ukrainian crisis of 2014. These soldiers wore unmarked green uniforms and, even though they carried Russian equipment, Russia initially denied they were from their country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin eventually confirmed that these "little green men" were Russian, and it turned out they were special forces that were sent into Crimea.
DICE responded to @Waggle_ua, saying "We sincerely appreciate you bringing this to our attention. The use of the name was unintentional, and you've helped us to make a positive change in the game. Thank you."
The developer also confirmed it would be "changing the name in a forthcoming update" and that while "it unintentionally references a real world issue," it "isn't reflective of our team's values."
For more on Battlefield 2042, check out our review in progress and how certain players that are trying to use XP farms are falling into a trap.
Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.